Optional resource types for Windows

In addition to the resource types included with Puppet, you can install custom resource types as modules from the Forge. This is especially useful when managing Windows systems, because there are several important Windows-specific resource types that are developed as modules rather than as part of core Puppet.

If you’re doing heavy management of Windows systems, the following modules (which are collected in the puppetlabs/windows module pack) might be helpful:

  • puppetlabs/acl: A resource type for managing access control lists (ACLs) on Windows.

  • puppetlabs/registry: A resource type for managing arbitrary registry keys.

  • puppetlabs/reboot: A resource type for managing conditional reboots, which can be necessary for installing certain software.

  • puppetlabs/dism: A resource type for enabling and disabling Windows features (on Windows 7 or 2008 R2 and newer).

  • puppetlabs/powershell: An alternative exec provider that can directly execute PowerShell commands.

Other resource types created by community members are also available on the Forge. The best way to find new resource types is by searching for “Windows” on the Forge and exploring the results.

Remember: Plugins from the Forge might not have the same amount of quality assurance and test coverage as the core resource types included in Puppet.